Note: I don't do JS but I always assume that I could if I wanted to.
From: Ron via talk <talk@gtalug.org>
Beware learning modern language usage from parchments from the middle ages.
Yes, very good advice. I imagine especially since JS has had so much change forced by its success. On the other hand, sometimes it is easier to learn core ideas of a system before it grew like topsy. That's a general comment and I would not recommend this particular book. I think that I learned a lot about UNIX (and hence Linux) by starting with the 5th Edition (or maybe 4th) in 1975. I know the skeleton, which is hard to see with current versions. The core idea of JS was: LISP, with more conventional syntax. Heavily influenced by Dave Ungar's SELF. Object orientation without classes. Radical stuff that was disguised so as not to scare the civilians. Learning how to choose deal with enormous libraries and frameworks of dubious security must be a challenge. NPM is such a large and fluid collection and it apparently has ineffective gatekeepers.